Dates visited: 8/10/2020 & 11/20/2020

No real story for this one. Just a great photo opportunity.

Date visited: 4/9/2021

I grew up in Enfield, went to college in Springfield, and worked in Springfield for many years, but this was the first time I had ever been to Forest Park. It's a pretty big place. There are a lot of great photo opportunities here, and the dogs were being cooperative. We bypassed doing the trails, and just mostly walked around the park for three miles.

Date visited: 4/7/2021

I would have never known about this place if it wasn't for the All-Trails app. There are no signs or anything indicating that this place even exists. The trail head is in the back of a church parking lot, un-signed of course. There are a lot of trails back here in a nice wooded forest.

Date visited: 8/29/2023

This was a complete waste of time. The main portion of the park is closed, with gates locked with padlocks. Sign says it's because of staffing shortages. The only part of the park that is open is the boat dock/fishing area. The picture below is basically it! There were a couple people fishing, and one occupied car that reeked of marijuana. We basically took this picture and left.

Date visited: 8/29/2023

This is a town park at an old summer camp location. It's pretty nice, espcially considering it's in Springfield! There are two small ponds here, one has a small swimming area. There are also some short unmarked trails around the side of the ponds. The park also features a playground, a pavilion and a picnic area. It looks like the grounds are actively maintained. The park is next to a country club and golf course, and it isn't always clear where the park property ends and the country club property begins. Incidentally, the sign about dogs not being allowed on the golf course wasn't anywhere near the golf course itself! We meandered around this park, walking about one and a half miles in the process.

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Date visited: 1/27/2024

This is a city park in the North End of Springfield. There are two sections of the park, one with athletic fields, playgrounds, and even some exercise equipment. The other part features a paved two mile walking trail that loops around some ponds. The trail is perfect for dog-walking. There are benches and trash cans throughout, and even a few poop bag dispensers. There are some short side trails with access to the ponds. The park is well maintained. It was obvious by the small snow banks on either side of the trail, that the trail is cleared in the winter time. There was some trash in the woods on some of the side trails, but most of the park was remarkably clean for a city park, especially the city of Springfield! It was a damp and dreary day, after four straight days of rain, but it was good to get out none the less. We walked a little bit over 2.5 miles total, completing the entire loop trail as well as part of the regular park area as well.

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Date visited: 3/18/2024

This is a city park located in the Indian Orchard section of Springfield. I actually found this park simply by looking at "green" areas on Google Maps. I was looking for something within 45 minutes, that I could get to after work with enough time to enjoy, and this fit the bill. I figured it was just going to be a typical walk around a park, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice trail around a pond. The park itself is pretty typical, with athletic fields, picnic areas and a playground, as well as a large grassy area. The trail is un-blazed, but well worn and easy to follow. It does not appear on any of my GPS enabled maps. It starts at the southern side of the park and loops the pond. There are also access trails that lead to neighborhood streets as well. The only "iffy" section, was a short part that runs between some backyards and the pond. Other than that, the trail and park seemed remarkably clean and well kept for the City of Springfield. All total, we walked about one and a half miles here, at this surprisingly enjoyable park.

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Date visited: 8/21/2024

This is a city park, with athletic fields and a playground. We didn't explore too much. I was hear for a meet-up with friends. The dogs ate up the attention.

Date visited: 5/12/2025

It was a beautiful day, but I had a non-dog related obligation in the evening, so our adventure had to be closer to home. We decided to head to Springfield. We parked at the free MGM garage, and started our walk around the casino. Obviously, we didn't go inside, but there are some great spots for photos around the casino. Unfortunately, dogs aren't allowed inside Leo DaVinci Park, so we were only able to take a picture from outside the gate. I especially like the building that resembles an old castle. We continued our walk through the city, heading to Riverfront Park and the Connecticut Riverwalk & Bikeway, and then continuing through Downtown Springfield.

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Date visited: 5/12/2025

We started our walk through the city at MGM Springfield, before continuing to Connecticut Riverwalk & Bikeway, before walking through more of the downtown area of the city. Our walk took us through a number of locations, including Symphony Hall, Springfield City Hall, Court Square, One Financial Plaza, Courthouse Plaza, and the Civic Center (which shall remain nameless). Also included are some pictures under the I-91 bridge, that feature some wonderful Dr. Seuss related artwork. This part of the city is real nice, and it was an enjoyable walk.

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Date visited: 5/12/2025

This is a bike trail that runs along the east side of the Connecticut River in Downtown Springfield. It runs from the South End Bridge, up to near the Chicopee border. We didn't walk all of that, just a stretch near the middle of the trail, that's accessed from Riverfront Park. The park is nice, with some picnic areas and a playground, and views of the river, as well as views of Downtown Springfield.

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Date visited: 10/9/2025

We've been visiting a lot of college campuses the last few months, but this is the first time we visited my very own alma mater! Back when I graduated from here, it was still known as Western New England College. The campus is very different now. There has been numerous additions over the years. There are many more buildings now then there was "back in the day"! One thing still present are the three donut shaped buildings. Back when I was a student, sophomores with the best grades got to upgrade to living in these suites. I'm not sure they are still dorms, but I have very fond memories my year in the donut! Even with all of the changes, this isn't the most interesting campus compared to some of the others we've visited recently. Of course, this isn't a famous Ivy League campus like Harvard, Yale or Brown, or a famous sports school like UConn. Regardless, I did get a great education here, and have very fond memories of my four years here. It was nice to revisit with Mandy & Lexi after all this time, even if most of the campus is different!

Oh, and it was also Mandy's 11th Birthday! Happy Birthday Mandy!

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